Jon Levy
Damn you CONCACAF Nations League!!
I was happily keeping my word processor out of the soccer content creation business, but you had to pair the US with “my other team” in this exciting (contrived?) new tournament/league/whatever.
Now I’m compelled to actually write something; maybe even twice. This is a bummer, but the matches should be fun to watch.
Weather: 55 degrees and clear at kickoff. Perfect footballing weather.
Series: 34th meeting. USA Lead, 14-8-11. Les Rouges are 8-3-2 against the US on Canadian soil, however.
Why is Canada your “other team”? Are you an idiot? France is available. France works for Neil.
That last part is true, but my wife is Canadian, so I’ve been following them peripherally since we first met in 2009. This has mostly been a thankless and frankly half-assed task. That is, until John Herdman took over not quite two years ago. Herdman was the Canadian women’s team’s stylish and charismatic English manager. That style and charisma tended to translate to the team’s on-field product as well, and had produced back-to-back Olympic bronze medals for his CanWNT.
Canada Soccer then shocked everyone who was paying attention in January of 2018, doing exactly what I thought Tennessee Men’s basketball should have done in 2005: they hired the super-successful women’s coach to coach the men. They actually did more than that. Herdman’s been given the US Soccer Klinsmann edict and beyond; he is now the alpha and omega of Canadian soccer. I think that’s probably a good thing, but for the purposes of this preview we’re going to focus on his current incarnation of the Canadian Men’s National Team.
Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies leads a talented young Canada side.
What to expect from Canada:John Herdman coaches an exciting, attacking brand of soccer, but the complementary defensive organization that was a hallmark of his Canadian women’s teams hasn’t made it to the men’s side yet. At least it hadn’t during the Gold Cup, and a couple shutouts of Cuba in the Nations League don’t mean anything. That said, it does seem like Herdman’s taken one important lesson from the Gold Cup after blowing a two-goal lead against Haiti.
It’s an understatement to say the Englishman is committed to his attacking, pressing 4-3-3 approach. They even deployed it in formation against Mexico in the Gold Cup group stage (admittedly, retreating to defend all first half before Herdman presumably gave the team a Jesse Marsch-esque halftime sermon and broke out the press in the second half). But it appears the manager got his wake-up call this summer with regard to what I’ll call fullback tomfoolery, and he now seems to be taking the novel approach of playing real, actual wing defenders on the wings.
During the Gold Cup Herdman started two of his best players, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and young LAFC starlet Mark-Anthony Kaye, at left back. As you may know, neither man is a defender. Meanwhile, at right back, his preferred starter was Marcus Godinho, a Portugese-Canadian who does self-identify as a defender, but whose arrow points way towards the opposing penalty area, not his own. This managerial hubris made Canada a joy to watch from an entertainment-value perspective this summer, but it ultimately resulted in Davies and Godinho being made to look comically bad as they made Haiti look like Real Madrid in the second half of that knockout fixture. Now Herdman appears to be starting Davies and Kaye at their best positions, and probably markedly more importantly, he’s starting defenders at the fullback spots. I expect Vancouver Whitecaps center back pairing Doneil Henry and Derek Cornelius to be joined by Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea on the right wing, and either Sam Adekugbe or Kamal Miller on the left. None of those guys will strike fear into American hearts, but they might just know the spot they need to occupy when the ball turns over. Can Miller and Adekugbe can slow a sizzling hot Jordan Morris enough to allow their front three and talented midfield to ask questions of the US defense? That’s a big question tomorrow night.
Ahead of the suspect-til-proven-otherwise defense, Canada should present a bright and aggressive attack that forces American defenders and the dedicated DMF to stay on their toes and win battles. You know about left wing dynamo Alphonso Davies. You probably know about Junior Hoilett, and man do I ever feel good for that guy after watching him trudge through some dark days with this national team. He’s scoring. He’s creating chances. The Cardiff City attacker is a man reborn.
And if you don’t know about my Canadian Player to Watch for this match, you’re about to.
Jonathan David has been blistering in Belgium and scored loads of goals for the national team. He will challenge the US back four.
Canadian Player to Watch: Jonathan David, Forward (Gent)
After John Herdman’s first year in charge of the men, my take was that Jonathan David was his “system forward.” The team had hardly faced any real opposition, and Herdman seemed to prefer David and fellow relative newcomer Lucas Cavallini to recognized star-in-the-making Cyle Larin. I chalked it up to system fit, and potentially to making the headline-grabbing Larin “earn it.” This past spring I was still of this mindset. Then Jonathan David scored approximately a million goals for club and country over the next six months.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmfo_DOq9Ko
He went from prospect/contributor to star striker at Gent. He added to his already impressive Canada MNT tally under Herdman, winning the Golden Boot at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring six goals in four matches. Even more frighteningly, he spread those goals out between deployments as center forward and wing forward within that aforementioned 4-3-3, his other half Cavllini playing well and also knocking them in at target striker when David’s out wide right.
If American defenders get too caught up accounting for the Bayern Munich guy, David’s going to make them pay. Hell, he’ll probably make ‘em pay even if they give him all the respect he deserves. In this match or the next.
American Player to Watch: Jordan Morris, Forward (Seattle Sounders)
I don’t have much to write here, and I’m not sure he’ll even play, but Jordan’s done enough to warrant another real look at one of Gregg’s wing forward/wide midfield spots.
When he was included in the Gold Cup roster I liked that inclusion from a depth and flexibility perspective. I also tend to think his physicality is a handful for tired defender to cope with when he’s used as a sub. But he slightly outplayed my low expectations during that tournament (at the very least), and he showed a genuine understanding with nailed-on starter Weston McKennie in the glorified training exercise that was Friday night’s Cuba match. I don’t think Jordan Morris has the technical skill of Tyler Boyd or the consistency of Paul Arriola (both on this squad), and I certainly wouldn’t want to mention Tim Weah, Uly Llanez, or Gio Reyna in this same sentence… but J-Mo Smooth deserves a look after his resurgent season for the Sounders and his recent form for the US.
Did that section make the “never-MLS” Twitter crowd get all angry? Someone look and tell me if they’re angry. Okay, cool, thanks.
Did I forget something in the customary US preview?
Maybe I did… I’ll let Neil do it.
Jan 27, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; USA forward Gyasi Zardes (9) reacts after a missed shot on goal in the first half against Panama during an international friendly soccer match at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Neil W. Blackmon on What to Expect from the US?
The usual Gregg Berhalter squad rotations, which probably means (gulp) a butt-goal from Gyasi Zardes, who should start for Josh Sargent. The US is also monitoring a minor ankle injury to Sargent, which makes me all the more certain Zardes plays– and finds the net with his left clavicle- Tuesday night.
The two most interesting things for the US in this game are- firstly, how will the US back four– whatever grouping is deployed–react to a talented Canadian front three that has pace,physicality and technical ability. The Cubans had pace- and little else– and we learned nothing about the United States defensively Friday night.
To combat Canada’s pace and technicality, the US should play Aaron Long, who adds pace, and Matt Miazga, who is a physical player who won’t be pushed around by the compact Jonathan Cavallini or the strong Jonathan David.
The US fullbacks should be Tim Ream and DeAndre Yedlin, who will get the chance to pair up with Jordan Morris and deserves to play after flying across the Atlantic Ocean to rejoin the team.
The American defense playing David, who is blistering the Belgian league and has 11 goals in 10 appearances for Canada, paired with Davies and Cavallini, is about as good a non-Mexican attacking trio as the US defense will get in CONCACAF, so this is a quality test, especially playing on Canadian soil.
Look for David to start wide with Cavallini, a more classical number 9, at the tip of the spear. Cavallini is an adequate target man but what’s interesting watching him in Liga MX is he’s sneaky fast and sturdy, his compact frame allowing him to shield defenders on the run off his back shoulder. That means the US has to be disciplined, so as to not commit dangerous fouls- but also need their fullbacks and midfield tracking runs to be positionally alert, as Cavallini’s target ability creates the facilitating danger for off-ball runners Davies and David.
Alphonso Davies matched up on the US left could also fascinate: will his presence as an attacking threat limit the influence Morris has had for the US of late- pushing him back to defend? Or will the US task Yedlin (or another fullback, I suppose) with staying at home a bit and defending? My guess is Canada won’t have enough of the ball for that, but it is a big reason the US defense is the biggest question in this match.
The second most important matchup in this game is the US midfield three and their ability to stay patient and play with tempo against a Canadian midfield three that limits mistakes and makes you connect passes. I don’t think Canadian captain Scott Artfield, midfielder Jonathan Osorio or LAFC’s Mark Anthony-Kaye are particularly dynamic, but all are intelligent defensively and Anthony-Kaye and Artfield are both ball-winners who are careful with their passes. Canada won’t beat themselves or give the ball away cheaply– so the US will need to be composed on the ball to create chances.
Prediction: Canada 1-3 USA
I expect this game will have a bit of a back-and-forth “track meet” feel to it, but I think Canada’s probably made enough defensive progress to keep it close.
I know it will be Gregg’s expectation that the US massively outpossess Canada here, so maybe their dangerous counter-attacks are few and far between? I also would not be shocked if Friday night lulled the US into a false sense of security, and for Canada to come out and win the match.
But hey, that’s not my prediction, right?